Tool support



May 14, 1940. A. J. MILLER TOOL SUPPORT Filed April 28, 1938 D FIG. I.

3 Sheets-Sheet- 1 9 I y 9 5 I l I 4 4 :1 B Q, 5 7 I i 4 //%f I I I I a Z 4-'10. 2. 5a 4 I NVENT 0R ARTHUR J. MILLER YMKW ATTORNEY A. J. MILLER TOOL SUPPORT Filed April 28, 1938 May 14, 1940.

3 Sheets-Shes 2 INVENTQR;

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U f v m R A. J. MILLER 2.200.799

TOOL SUPPORT Filed April 28, 1938 s Sheets-Sheet 3 n? FIG. l2.

I/vvE/vmR; ARTHUR J MILLER ATTORNEY Patented May 14, 1940 PATENT orrlcs TOOL surroa'r Arthur J. Miller, Chicago, Ill. Application April 28, was. No. 204,171

2 Claims. (01. 248-2) This invention relates to machines of the kind commonly referred to as wood-working machines and metal-working machines, and has for its main object to provide a combination machine that can be easily adjusted or changed to adapt it to turning, grinding, drilling, cutting, polishing, sawing, sanding, shaping, and routing.

Another object is to provide a machine of the character above referred to that is compact, readily portable, simple in design and sufficiently low in cost to bring it within the financial reach of home craftsmen, thereby making it possible 7 for an amateur machinist or wood worker to is being used, consists of a fractional horsepower electric motor mounted so that it can be easily removed from the machine and held in the hand of the user in performing operations of thekind wherein it is necessary or desirable to manipulate the tool relatively to the work. Other objects and desirable features of my invention will be hereinafter pointed out.

To this end I have devised a machine which, briefly described, consists of a holder adapted to receive an electric motor equipped with a chuck in which various kinds of tools or devices may be positioned, means for enabling the motor holder to be arranged in various positions, in one of which the armature of the motor is disposed horizontally, in another of which the motor is arranged above the work with its armature disposed vertically, and in still another "position in which the motor is arranged below the work with its armature disposed vertically, and a plurality of different kinds of work tables or WOrk-SllS-' taining devices that can be easily combined with or disassociated from the supporting structure for the motor, depending upon the particular purpose or character of work for which the machine is to be used. Preferably, the machine comprises a horizontally disposed base and a shiftable supporting structure on said base that carries the motor and which serves as a support for various attachments that are used to sustain the work and present it to the tool or instrument driven by the motor and to support a tool that is being used to perform an operation on work that is being rotated by the motor. The said supporting structure can be arranged in a horizontal position wherein the armature of the motor is disposed parallel to the base of the machine and it can be arranged in two different upright or vertical positions, in one of which the motor is located in close proximity to the base and in the other of which the motor is arranged in an elevated position at a point considerably above the base of the machine.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a top plan view of my improved machine when it is adapted for circular sawing.

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the parts shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of said machine showing it adapted for lathe work.

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view taken onthe line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is an enlarged vertical longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 55 of Figure 1 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Figure 6 is an enlarged vertical. longitudinal sectional view taken through the tail stock that is employed when the machine is adapted for lathe work as shown in Figure 3.

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken on the line I| of Figure 6 looking in the direction indicatedby the arrows.

Figure 8 is a side elevational view of the machine showing it adjusted so as to be used as a drill press.

Figures 9 and 10 are horizontal sectional views taken on the lines 9-9 and i0l0-oi Figure 8.

Figure 11 is a side elevational view illustrating the machine adjusted or adapted for use as a shaper.

,Figure 12 is a top plan view of the shaper table.

Figure 13 is a sectional view taken on the line i3-l3 of Figure 11; and I Figure 14 is an edge view of the shaper table taken on approximately the line i l-l4 of Figure 12 looking in the direction indicated by' the arrows.

Referring to the drawings which illustrate the preferred form of my inventionfA designates trated, said shiftable supporting structure com-' prises two parallel bars B whose opposite ends are tied together by yoke pieces 3 and 3a. The yoke piece 3 fits between upwardly projecting ears 4 on thelbase plate 2 and pivotally connected to same bya horizontally disposed removable pin 5, and the other yoke piece 31: is

detachably connected in a similar manner by a removable pin 5a to upwardly projecting ears 4a. on the base plate 2a. For convenience in manufacturing, the base plates Z, 20 and yoke pieces just. referred to are made of cast metal and the ends of the supporting bars B are positioned in holes in the yoke pieces and'connected to same by set screws 6 although I wish it to be understood that the shiftable supporting structure of j moved and the bars B are swung upwardly intoa vertical position as shown in Figure 8, and to adapt the machine to other kinds of work the yoke piece 3a is detached from the base plate 2a so as to enable the supporting bars B to swing upwardly into a vertical position as .shown in Figure 1.1.

As previously explained, the shiftable supporting structure of the machine has provision for holding an electric motor C equipped with a chuck 'l in which various kinds of tools or instruments can be mounted. I prefer to use a fractional horespower electric motor of the type that comprises a housing constructed so that it can be grasped and held in one hand of a workman and manipulated to move the tool relatively to the work, the electric current which actuates said motor being supplied to same by a' duplex cord at that leads from the hand piece or housing of the motor. Motors of this particular type are now in general use and are used extensively by homei craftsmen "and in small professional shops, and the primary object of my invention is to increase the range of usefulness of such motors by providing an inexpensive-means of simple design by which the owners of such motors may use the same to perform conventional machine shop operations and wood-working shop operationsin constructing articles or objects from wood, plastics and relatively soft materials. In order that the motor C may be used either as a hand tool or as a driving means of a lathe, drill press, sander, saw, shaper or router, said motor is removably mounted in a motor holder herein illus-,

trated as being composed of a concaved motor support 8 integrally connected with the yoke piece 3 and a removable clamping plate 8a that is detachably connected, to said motor support by fastening devices 9. When said fastening devices 9 are released the motor C can be withdrawn endwise from operative'position in the motor holder formed by the coacting parts 8 and 8'. c

When it is desired to use the machine for sawing, a rotary saw D is mounted in the chuck of the motor C, the bars B of the shiftable supporting structure are arranged in a horizontal position parallel with the base of the machine and a saw table E is mounted on said supporting bars B in such a position with relation to the saw that the work may be fed over said table to the saw. Said saw tableisconstructedinthe form of a complete unit that can be'easily'mounted on or removed from the supporting bars B and it is so constructed that it can be easily arranged in a flat or horizontal position or tipped, either to the right or left, and arranged in an inclined position relatively to the saw. As shown in Figure 1 the saw table E is provided with an adjustable ripping fence l0 and an adjustable miter I I. The saw table E is-preferably formed from a flat, plate-like casting provided on its longitudinal side edges with depending flanges [2 that carry semi-circular shaped ribs 13 which project laterally into segmental shaped grooves formed in the inner sides or faces of two spaced supporting plates M in such a way that the table E is, in effect, pivotally mounted on said supporting plates. Said saw table is prevented from moving relatively to the supporting plates M by a clamping screw l5 threaded intoone of the curved ribs l3 and projecting outwardly through a segmental slot IS in the supporting plate l4 that carries the curved rib. which receives the clamping screw l5 When said clamping .screw is tightened the head of same exerts suflicient frictional pressure on the portions of the plate I 4 adjacent the slots l6 to hold the saw table E in adjusted position. Inasmuch as the clamping screw I5 is positioned in the slot I6, said screw cooperates with the end walls of said .slot to form a stop which limits the tilting movement of the saw table.' In order to increase the tilting'range of said table, the curved rib that carries the clamping screw I5 is provided with a plurality of threaded holes l5a as shown in Figure 2, in any one of which the clamping screw 'l5may be positioned. The supporting plates 14 are carried by a horizontally disposed head piece H (see Figure 4) which is provided with a depending shank l8 that is adjustably mounted in a bearing I9 carried by a saddle plate 20 that rests upon the supporting bars B. Said saddle plate is grooved on its underside to receive the bars B and a grooved clamping plate 20a is arranged on the underside of the bars B and detachably connected with the saddle plate 20 by a bolt 2|. range the saw table E in operative position it is only necessary to mount the saddle plate 2.0 in such a position on the bars B that a slot in the To arsaw table is in alignment with the saw D, then v apply the clamping plate 20a to the undersideq,

of the bars B and tighten the bolt 2| so as to securely lock the saddle plate in adjusted position.

Thereafter the table E can be raised or lowered relatively to the saw by manipulating a retaining screw I So on the bearing l9 that engages the shank l8 which carries the supporting plates M in which the saw table is mounted. In order to reduce the cost of manufacturing-the machine, the saw tablejthe supporting plates M, the head piece H, the saddle plate and coacting clamping plate are formed from castings and the shank I8 is formed from a piece of commercially roiled rod that is attached in any suitable way to the headpiece I 1, the supporting plates l4 being provided with integral inwardly projecting wings that are fastened to said head piece ll by means of fastening devices 22 as shown in Figure 4.

The ripping fence III on the saw table is provided on its underside with a rib that slides in a groove 23 in the top face of said table and said ripping fence is held in adjusted position by a clamping screw 24 as shown in Figure 1. By releasing said clamping screw the ripping fence, can be adjusted towards and away from the saw operated by the motor C. The miter H is constructed so that it can be setto produce cuts at any angle from 45 to and said miter is pivotally mounted on .a slide 25 that is'positioned' in a transversely disposed groove in the top face of the saw table arranged at right angles to the ably mounted, the said slide 25 having adjustably mounted therein a clamp screw 26 that holds the miter I I in adjusted position. In order to protect the user from possible injury by the saw D, the table E is provided with a hinged or pivotally mounted guard 21 which is ofsuch construction that it can swung downwardly into an operative position over the saw or swung upwardly into an inactive position so as to expose the saw, one end of said guard 21 being pivotally connected at 28 to an upright 29 that is carried by one of the supporting plates M as shown in Figure 3. A saw table of the construction above described has all of the usual adjustments found in conventional wood-working machines equipped with a circular saw and can beused to properly present the work to the saw in performing such conventional operations as straight ripping, angle ripping and mitering. It can be quickly and easily adjusted and as it is constructed in the form of a self-contained unit, it can be quickly removed from the shiftable supporting structure of the machine when the machine is to be set or adjusted to adapt it to other kinds of work.

In case it is desired to use the machine'as a lathe or for turning articles made of wood or other relatively soft material, the saw table E previously described is dismounted from the supporting barsB and replaced by a tail stock F and tool rest G as shown in Figure 3, the saw that was used in the previously described sawing operation being replaced by a device that will turn or rotate the work when the motor is set in operation. In the event a turning operation is to be performed, a spur center 30'is mounted in the chuck I of the motor C as shown in Figure 3. The means employed to sustain the tool rest G and clamp it to'the supporting bars B is similar to the means used to mount the saw table E on the shiftable supporting structure of the machine and comprises a grooved saddle plate 20 I arranged above the bars B, a grooved clamping plate 200, arranged below said bars and a retaining bolt 2| for detachably connecting said plates together. Said tool rest G is provided with a shank I8 that is adjustably mounted in a bearing I9 on the saddle plate 20 in such a way that said tool rest can be easily raised or lowered.

The tail stock F also comprises a grooved saddle plate 20 that rests upon the supporting barsB and which coacts with a clamping plate 20a that is connected with said saddle plate by a bolt or other suitablefastening device 2| where by the tail stock may easily be applied to or removed from the supporting bars B or adjusted,

longitudinally of said bars towards and away from the tool or other instrument driven by the motor C. As shown in Figures 3 and 6, the tail, stock F is provided with a bearing 3| in which the spindle 42 between the knob '43 and the lower is adjustably mounted a horizontally disposed centering device 32 provided with a prong that is adapted to be driven into one end of the work. During the turning operation the centering de-- vice 32 is held secured in a fixed or stationary position by a clamping screw 33 that engages a tool rest G is bodily removed from the support- To convert the machine into a drill press the ing bars B, the centering device 32 is removed from" the tail stock and said tail stock F is adjusted laterally to the extreme right-hand end. of the supporting bars B, and the retaining bolt 5 in the left-handend base plate 2 is withdrawn so as to release the left-hand end \of the shiftable supporting structure of the machine. Thereafter said supporting structure is swung upwardly into a vertical position as shown in Figure 8. During this adjustment of the supporting structure the yoke plate 3a turns on the retaining bolt So as an axis and in order to facilitate setting the bars B in a truly vertical position, the base plate 5a is provided with an adjustable stop 31 that is adapted to be engaged by a bearing piece 38 on the tail stock F. By raising or lowering the stop 31 the bars '3 can be brought to a truly vertical position after which the swinging. structure, of which said bars form a part, can be securely locked by manipulating a retaining screw 39- carried by the base plate 2a and arranged so as to engage and exert pressureon the bearing piece i 38 of the tail stock. Preparatory to making the a drill press table H is mounted in a horizontal position on the bars B so as to support the' work in a horizontal position at a point beneath a drill 49 carried by the chuck of the motor .0. Said drill press table is also constructed in' the form of a self-contained unit that can be quickly applied to or removed from the shiftable support-- ing structure of the machine and it comprises a coacting grooved saddle plate 20 and clamping plate 20a that are held clamped tightly to the bars B by a bolt 2|. The saddle plate 20 is provided with a laterally projecting arm that carries a bearing M which receives a vertically adjustable spindle 42 that projects downwardly length that it can be moved upwardly to feed the work to the drill, 4ll. In other words, when my improved machine is used as a drill press mounted above the work'and the table on which the work is positioned is moved upwardly so as from the table H, said .spindle being of such .the 'motor that drives the drill is stationarily mally maintain said table in a depressed'posi- 1 tion, a'coiled expansion spring is arranged on 60 end of the bearing 4| in whichthe spindle reciprocates.. turning or rotating when it is being raised or lowered, the bearing 4| is provided witha screw LMa, that is adapted to engage-a fiat portion on the spindle 42 as shown in Figure 10. In certain In order to'prevent the table H frorn tool or drill 40 to form a pattern in the top side 75 be used as a shaper.

ofthe work. In order that the work may be clampedsecurely to the table H said table is provided with slots 45that are. adapted to receive work-holding devices, not shown. -By adjusting the saddle plate longitudinally of the-supporting bars B the table H can be adapted to work of various thicknessesor set in such a position to form holes of uniform depth in'the work with out the exercise of skill on the part of the user I H is moved upwardly to the extreme uppermost position, the drill 40, will penetrate the top surface of the work only 4 inch. Any conventional drill press operation can be performed on the work when the machine is adjusted in the way illustrated in Figure 8 and the machine has the added advantage that it can be converted quickly and easily from one type of work to another simply by changing the position of the shiftable supporting structure and applying to same the particular work-feeding or means that is adapted to the particular work to be performed by the machine. v

Figures 11 to 14 illustrate how the machine may To convert it from a drill press to a shaper the bars B are swung downwardly into parallel relationship with the base A and the bolt 5 is replaced so as to connect the left-hand end of the shiftable supporting structure to the base plate 2. The bolt 5a in the other base plate 2a is then withdrawn after which the bars- B are swung upwardly into a vertical position as shown in Figure 11, the base plate 2 being equipped with an adjustable stop 31 and a retaining device 39 of the kind previously described to facilitate setting and locking the bars B in a truly vertical position. In this adjust-A ment of the shiftable supporting structure of the machine the motor C is arranged in close proximity to the base thus enabling said motor to be used to drive a shaping'tool 46 that projects upwardly through a hole in -a shaping table I over which the work is fed to present it to the tool 4t. The shaping table I is also constructed in the form of a self-contained unit that is easy to install or remove; Said table is provided with a depending shank 41 that is adapted to be positionedin aligned holes 48 in the yoke piece 3 and secured in adjusted position therein by a set screw 49 that engages the shank "when said screw is tightened. In order to prevent the table I from turning when it is being raised or lowered,

.the shank 41 is provided with a groove 41a as shown in Figure 13 that is adapted to-receive a I stationary pin 50, shown in broken lines in Figure 11, carried by the part in which the shank 4! slides. If desired, the shanks and cooperating bearings or guideways of the other worktables may be constructed in a similar way to prevent malalignment or accidental turning of said tables when they are being adjusted. The table I, similar to the other tables previously described, is preferably constructed from. a casting and the shank of the table is constructed from a piece of commercially rolled rod, grooved as described, that-can be pinned or otherwise secured to thetable casting. The shaper table I is provided with a guide or gauge 5| having a rib 52 on work-presenting the underside of same that slides in a straight groove formed in the top surface of the table, saidgauge being'heldin adjusted position by means ofa clamping-screw 53. At the center of the gauge 5! is a cut-out portion 54' as shown in Figure 12, that is adapted ,to receive-theshaping tool 46- and which permits the gaugeill to be adjusted towards and away from the axis of rotation of the cutting tool so as to vary the depth ofthe cut or groove which the tool 46 makes in the work.

A'machine or apparatus'of the constructionabove described, due to its low cost and ease. of manipulation, makesit. possible for an amateur craftsman to have at his home a work-shop in which precision tools can be used to perform conventional wood-working machine operations and metal-working, machine operations and it has the added advantages of being easily portable and of taking up very little floor space or bench space. It is easy to modify or adjust, to change it from one kind of work to another, and when designed so as to be operated by a fractional, horsepower electric motor of the type that is in-. tended to be grasped and held in the hand of the. 25

user, it combines in a single apparatus the advantages which, prior to my invention, could only be attained by the use of a large number of separate machines and instruments. Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patcut is:

1. An apparatus of the, kind described, comprisinga main base that is adapted to be arranged horizontally on a bench, table or the like, pivot supports on the top side of said base arranged in spaced relationship, a shiftable supporting structure of elongated form, removable pivot pins for detachably connecting the opposite,

arranged at one end of said shiftable supporting structure.

2. An apparatus of the kind described, comprising a horizontally-disposed base, a shiftable supporting structure of elongated 'form, removable pivot pins for rigidly attaching both ends of said supporting structure to the base when said,

structure arranged horizontally above .the base and for pivotally attaching the opposite ends of said supporting structure to the base under oer-'- tain conditions, each of said pivot pins being adapted to be manipulated independently of the other to release the particular end of the supporting structure with which it is associated,

whereupon the opposite end of said supporting structure can be swung upwardly to arrange said structure in an upright position, and means for rigidly holding said supporting structure against swinging movement when it is arranged in an upright position, said supporting structure comprising a motor holder located at one end of same anddisposed so as to hold a motor shaft parallel with said supporting structure.

' ARTHUR J. MILLER. 

